National Forest Foundation

Red-cockaded woodpeckers depend on longleaf pines to create their homes. Eastern blue birds and southern flying squirrels depend on red-cockaded woodpeckers to excavate cavities in living pines for their own nests. Together, they are bound in a web of life that starts with a single seedling. In 2024 the red-cockaded woodpecker was downlisted from endangered to threatened—a celebration made possible by more than 50 years of collaboration between conservation organizations including the NFF to restore southeastern longleaf pine ecosystems. If restoring just 5% of the longleaf pine ecosystem’s historic range can have such a large impact on the species living there, imagine what expanding that range could mean. Vibrant, thriving ecosystems, sunlit forest floors and towering pines, a haven for biodiversity and wildlife. By donating, you’re not just planting trees—you’re growing hope. https://ow.ly/EB0s50VBal1 📷 Red-cockaded woodpecker by Danny Bales 📷Longleaf pine stand in Florida’s Ocala National Forest by the U.S. Forest Service #LegacyInEveryLeaf #Reforestation

Your first gift helps forests flourish. 🍃 My rivers nourish life, my trees shelter wildlife, and my trails bring people together. 🌎 With your support, I will continue to thrive for generations. Fires, habitat loss, and climate change threaten my future. You have the power to keep me vibrant. 🌿 This #EarthMonth, be part of my continued renewal. Your first gift keeps me alive. https://ow.ly/2kF950VBa8L 📷Rainbow over Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, submitted to the 2021 #NationalForestWeek photo contest by Nina Ritchie. #LegacyInEveryLeaf

The National Forest Foundation is grateful for partners like Zoom Video Communications for their dedication to wildfire resiliency efforts and reforestation across National Forests in need. This year, Zoom is supporting our Northern Colorado Fireshed Fund, which funds forest and wildfire mitigation projects in priority locations across the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest and adjacent communities.

This Earth Month, we are thanking Niagara Bottling for supporting crucial restoration along seven miles of the San Antonio Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande located on the Santa Fe National Forest. Thanks to their commitment, this project will deliver long-term environmental benefits, including: ✅ Improved aquatic habitats ✅ Stronger streambank stabilization ✅ Restore native vegetation ✅ Healthier flows towards the Rio Grande — a crucial source of water for nearly six million people! You can learn more about our impact together in the Water Ways documentary below: https://ow.ly/tCNC50VA9PH

What are you looking forward to most on National Forests this spring? 📷 Photo submitted to the NFF’s annual #NationalForestWeek photo contest by Ashley Wallinger | Coronado National Forest #LegacyInEveryLeaf #EarthMonth

There is awe in every blossom. 🌸🌿☀️ ️On sweeping prairies and rocky outcrops across the Rocky Mountains, Pasqueflowers are one of the first signs of new life in forests and grasslands awakening from their winter slumber. Every April the pasqueflower reminds us that even a small bloom can inspire hope for a renewed, vibrant future for our forests. Leave a legacy of life with your gift today: https://lnkd.in/g-xvFtb5 #LegacyInEveryLeaf #EarthMonth

The NFF is working with the Tonto National Forest to restore the Little Green Valley wet meadow—a rare and ecologically vital area just east of Payson, Arizona. This unique landscape, one of only two fen-like wet meadows in the state, has been heavily damaged by past land use. But wet meadows like this do critical work: they store groundwater, filter water, and support native plants and wildlife. In 2021, the Tonto National Forest named the meadow a top restoration priority. With support from local partners and landowners, the NFF completed Phase 1 of the project in 2024, stabilizing erosion and helping the meadow begin storing an estimated 16 million more gallons of water annually. Now, Phase 2 is on the horizon. Set to begin in Fall 2025, this next step will raise the creek bed to its historic level and reconnect the floodplain—expanding the restoration across public and private lands upstream and bringing lasting benefits to the region’s water and wildlife.

Meet the ponderosa pine – one of the many tree species we plant on National Forests. 🌲 One of the most abundant conifer species in the western U.S., ponderosa pine is beloved for its incredible height and straight, sturdy trunk (a mature tree can grow over 200 feet tall!). But the ponderosa pine’s true superpower is its fire-resistant armor; the tree’s thick bark protects it so it can survive all but the most severe crown-fires. 🌲🔥💪 ➡️ Ponderosa pine bark has a sweet, vanilla-y smell 😋 ➡️ The ponderosa pine is the major species used for dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, to study historic climate patterns by reading the width of tree rings. ➡️ The ranch in the iconic western “Bonanza” was named after the ponderosa pine. Because of its drought-tolerance and ability to survive low intensity wildfires, ponderosa pine is one of the top tree species we plant on National Forests. Through science-driven methods and a commitment to long-term stewardship, your contribution builds a living legacy for generations to come. By donating, you’re not just planting trees—you’re growing hope and ensuring National Forests remain where we come alive: https://lnkd.in/g-xvFtb5 📷 A magnificent ponderosa pine stands on the Coconino National Forest in Arizona taken by the U.S. Forest Service. #EarthMonth #LegacyInEveryLeaf

Glow up: Highline Trail edition ✨ This stretch of trail on Arizona’s Tonto National Forest was once eroded, uneven, and difficult to navigate. Thanks to the Highline Trail Restoration Initiative, it’s now more sustainable, accessible, and ready for use for future generations. This is just one small piece of our efforts to restore over 17 miles of the historic Highline Trail. Through improved drainage, better trail design, and collaboration with local partners and volunteers, we’re building a more resilient future for one of Arizona’s most beloved trails. #EarthMonth #LegacyInEveryLeaf

Once endangered, this rare songbird is about to embark on its annual journey north from the Bahamas to its Great Lakes breeding grounds. There, stands of young jack pines are waiting for the Kirtland’s warbler’s return. The Kirtland’s warbler depends on these jack pines to nest, so when changes to the region’s historic fire patterns prevented new jack pines from growing, the birds began to vanish along with the trees. Now, in a few short weeks, Kirtland’s warbler’s will light up the Hiawatha and Huron-Manistee National Forests with their yellow bellies and sweet song again thanks to the reforestation efforts of the NFF and other conservation organizations. Their story reminds us that trees give life to so much more than their own leaves—they are the catalysts that renew entire ecosystems. 📷Photo of Kirtland’s warbler and jack pine seedling by the U.S. Forest Service #LegacyInEveryLeaf #EarthMonth